Hopeful start for slimmer Scott

2nd-year tackle overcomes hamstring injury

Ian Scott once was quick enough to defend guards on his state-championship high school basketball team in Gainesville, Fla., and the Bears defensive tackle always has taken pride in his agility.

Scott never bought the perception he was little more than a hole-clogging run-stuffer in coach Lovie Smith's upfield-oriented defense predicated on tackles possessing an explosive first step.

Intent on shedding that label, Scott shed 30 pounds and slimmed down to 298 in the off-season. Then the second-year player from Florida pulled a hamstring before the second mini-camp and faded into oblivion. When Scott made the 53-man roster out of training camp, it surprised many but not him.

"At the weight I was last year, I knew playing in this defense would have been real hard," he said. "But once I got down where I wanted, I felt a lot better and started making plays. It has been a long road learning new things and a new system, then with my hamstring, but I just didn't give up."

The perseverance paid off last Sunday when Scott made his first NFL start ahead of promising rookie Tank Johnson and alongside Tommie Harris. Scott responded by making more tackles than any other defensive linemen--seven, including two for lost yardage.

His progress has been steady enough that he figures to remain part of the rotation even after Alfonso Boone returns from arthroscopic knee surgery in a couple of weeks.

"My first start was bittersweet," Scott said. "It was exciting to get it but not exciting to come out on the losing end. The stuff they're asking [defensive tackles] to do isn't that hard. It's just playing."

The Bears like the way the three young tackles they drafted in the past two years--Scott, Johnson and Harris--solidify the position for the future. They could save the team money in a free-agent market where defensive tackles routinely break the bank. Scott's development over the past several months made veteran Bryan Robinson and his $1.45 million salary more expendable despite his experience.

"At times our defensive line looked pretty good [against the Eagles]," Smith said. "But we have to be more consistent." . . .

Extra points

Smith cited the running game as a factor in Jonathan Quinn's struggles against the Eagles. The Bears suffered through their worst rushing performance in 10 years with 32 yards on 13 carries, their lowest output since they gained 27 yards on 14 carries in a 40-3 loss to Green Bay at Lambeau Field on Dec. 11, 1994. . . . Rookie wide receiver Bernard Berrian was flagged for illegal motion on the second-to-last play of the game, a penalty created when Berrian didn't hustle back to the huddle. He got an earful from the coaching staff. "When guys screw up we try to correct them, and that was the case with him," Smith said. . . . Smith singled out rookie Alfonso Marshall and veteran Todd McMillon for their play Sunday on special teams coverage and return units. . . . In the most intriguing matchup against the Eagles, right tackle John Tait limited Jevon "the Freak" Kearse to one tackle, earning Smith's praise. "He played very well," Smith said. . . . Why hasn't wide receiver Justin Gage become more of a big-play threat? "That's hard to say," Smith said. "You can have only so many guys really be the stars. We're not disappointed with what he has done, but for whatever reason we haven't gone to him."